NAACP honors students for attendance

As part of an annual tradition, representatives of the Lakeview NAACP visited  schools in the Malverne school district to present perfect attendance awards.

NAACP Education Chair Ronica Ebron and President Bea Bayley explained to students that the NAACP fights for the equal rights of all people. Every year the NAACP celebrates students with perfect attendance on the anniversary of the famous Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision that ended segregation in American schools — the first step in ensuring that every child, no matter skin color, could receive the same quality of education.

“Little Linda Brown paved the way for all children to achieve their full potential,” Ebron said. “We think so highly of education that we come to celebrate this special achievement of perfect attendance with you.”

District Deputy Superintendent Richard Banyon said perfect attendance awards are among the most important a school district can give. “It shows you care about your education and you are willing to do all you can to be part of a winning team,” he said.

Each honoree was given a commemorative T-Shirt provided by the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office, which partners with the NAACP to award students for this achievement.

Malverne High School students who received perfect attendance awards were: freshmen Erwin Alvarado Rodriguez, Richard Anderson, Kayla Campbell and Alejandra Lopez; sophomores Maalik Burgess, Destiny Dyer, Sem Gerestant, Nicole Manza, Christine Penna and Alicia Peralta; juniors T’von Cupid, Kirztie Hernandez, Christopher Jaccino and Christopher Lake; and seniors William Ebron, Mirotchy Gaston and Marcos Kramser.

At Howard T. Herber Middle School, 69 students in grades 5 through 8 received perfect attendance awards. Eleven students were singled out for achieving perfect attendance for three or more years in a row. Those students were: Jaelyn Chinchilla (eight years);  Adwoa Boakye-Yiadom (seven years); Olivia Quaranto (six years); Kehara Coates (six years); Rosmery Landaverde Deras (five years); Stephanie Gee (five years); Dymond Mitchell (four years); Angie Luna (four years); Antonia Lawrence (three years); Melissa Soliz (three years); and Chidozie Alozie (three years).

A total of 31 students at Davison Avenue Intermediary School were also honored with NAACP Perfect Attendance awards. Those students were Ozioma Alozie, Ryan Daley, Rafan Paul, Kirstie Chinchilla, Matthew Avvinti, Quentin Hughes, Emioluwa Abiola, Amanda Nagasawa, Stephanie Vasquez, Timothy Bosques, Akela Davidson, Erika Hernandez, Jacquelyn Neal, Christian Portillo, Afua Boakye-Yiadom, Jeanine Brancato, Tyrique Cooke, Raymona Dawkins, Subhadra Debnath, Akeile Smith, Shayla Merritt, Breyana Moore, Azia Rogers, Meegan Young, Philip Diaz, Ashley Boone, Christopher Mele, Jiana Watson, Nicola Brancato, Robin Murry and Gabriela Varela.